"Wait, are you sure this thing is a dog?" Lex Cross suddenly reached out, pinched the scruff of the little guyâs neck, and lifted it up to his eyes for a closer look.
"Be gentle!" Flora Bloom was about to snatch it back when she suddenly noticed something hard protruding from both sides of the little pupâs spine.
She felt it carefully. âWhy is there a hard lump of flesh growing here? And itâs symmetrical?â
Lex Cross seemed to have thought of something. His brow furrowed deeply, and he gave Flora Bloom a complicated look. "This thing... we should throw it away."
"Why? Did a little puppy offend you?" Flora Bloom quickly snatched the pup back, holding it protectively, afraid Lex Cross would actually toss it away. The giant python hadnât gone far; it would be trouble if it circled back.
"Itâs...!" There was too much to explain, and he didnât even know where to begin. "Flora, listen to me. Itâs better not to touch this damned thing."
"Iâll put it in my dimensional space. It can keep Monkey One company when he wakes up."
Suddenly, Flora Bloom froze. She looked down; the puppy was still in her hands. "Huh? Why canât it enter my space?"
Lex Cross rubbed his forehead, a headache coming on. It seemed getting Flora Bloom to throw this little thing away was going to be impossible. "Do you remember how you formed a contract with the Golden Crow?"
Flora Bloom searched her memory for the details of her pact with the Golden Crow. "Oh, I remember, but it was the one who initiated the contract back then. But how am I supposed to form a contract with this little..."
Flora Bloom suddenly caught the crucial point in Lex Crossâs words. She looked up in surprise. "Are you saying this puppy is on the same level as the Golden Crow? Is that why my space canât leave an imprint on its spiritual power, and I have to form a personal contract with it myself?"
Lex Cross nodded, then with a conflicted expression, he snatched the little thing from Flora Bloomâs hands and carelessly tossed it onto the ground. For her future safety, he absolutely could not let her keep it.
"Hey, what are you doing? Itâs just a little puppy! No matter how powerful it might be, itâs just a baby right now!" Flora Bloom picked it up from the ground again, cradling it and gently stroking its fur.
"A dog? How is this a dog? This is a wolf. Flora, listen to me. If you like puppies, Iâll catch a cute one for you later. We canât afford to keep this one."
"A wolf?" âCan wolves have white fur?â she wondered, looking at the little creature in her arms with utter delight, though she was confused. Suddenly, the wolf cub started whimpering restlessly in her embrace.
"Oh, my, whatâs wrong, my sweet one?"
Hearing the three words Flora cooed, Lex Crossâs face darkened completely. He raised his hand to grab its scruff again, but he saw it nuzzle against Floraâs chest.
Then it seemed to twitch its nose. Its two small, snow-white paws gripped Flora Bloomâs shoulder. With a milky WHIMPER, it suddenly bit down hard on her collarbone.
Flora Bloom yelped in pain and quickly pulled it off, cupping it in her hands.
The little wolf cub licked the drop of Flora Bloomâs red blood from the corner of its mouth. A black sigil shot out from its forehead, and a moment later, a drop of black blood burst from the cubâs chest and merged into the sigil.
Lex Cross reached out to stop it, but a massive wolf head erupted from the black sigil. A powerful, black vortex of energy sent him staggering back.
"The ancestral guardian sigil of the War Wolf Clan!"
And just then, the black sigil shot into Flora Bloomâs forehead. Lex Cross stared blankly as it happened, finally letting out a helpless sigh.
"I thought my strength was enough to protect you properly, but now I see itâs far from enough."
Flora Bloom only felt a new black sigil appear at the edge of the white cloud in the center of her sea of consciousness, shining in concert with the contract sigil from when the Golden Crow had acknowledged her as its master.
"Is that it? I donât feel anything. Why wasnât forming this contract as complicated as the one with that damned Golden Crow?"
Seeing the rare, stunned expression on Lex Crossâs face, Flora Bloom teased, "Whatâs wrong? Isnât it just a contract with, uh... a little wolf cub?"
"Yes, for now, itâs just a little wolf cub. The War Wolf Clan are born to be fierce and combative; theyâre natural-born Berserkers. Their clan has a rule: they never form a contract with a human. If one does, they will hunt that Contractor to the ends of the earth."
Flora Bloom was taken aback. "Huh? Is it really as terrifying as you say? Besides, the War Wolf Clan isnât on Earth, right?"
Lex Cross sighed. "Letâs hope so. The last person who signed an equal contract with the War Wolf Clan was hunted by them for a hundred years. An equal contract can be dissolved if both parties agree. But looking at yours..." Lex Cross glanced at Flora Bloomâs carefree expression. "Itâs a master-servant contract again, isnât it?"
Flora Bloom nodded. "It seems to be the same as my contract with the Golden Crow, except the wolf cubâs is black, and the Golden Crowâs is gold!"
Lex Crossâs mouth twitched, at a loss for words. "I donât know whether to call you lucky or unlucky. If youâre ever forced to leave Earth, the War Wolf Clan will inevitably sense the presence of their descendant. The consequences would be unimaginable!"
Flora Bloom frowned at Lex Crossâs solemn expression and asked, "Who was the person who also made a contract with the War Wolf Clan? What happened to him in the end?"
Lex Cross gave a helpless smile. "That was my second uncle. He went to an extraterritorial battlefield, stole a War Wolf cub, and forced a contract. After that, he was hunted for a full hundred years. Even after the contract was dissolved, he never dared to take a single step outside the Source Universe where our familyâs domain is located."
"So the War Wolf Clan posts guards to watch all the time? And they kill on sight?"
Lex Cross nodded. "Yes. The War Wolf Clan is extremely vindictive and dangerous. This cub is an absolute menace!"
"Then arenât you afraid the War Wolf Clan will storm your familyâs domain to kill your second uncle?"
Lex Cross suddenly smiled with confidence. "The Cross familyâs domain is protected by eight of our familyâs War God elders. No one from any cosmic nation would dare to break in and kill someone there."
Flora Bloom started to feel a little scared. War Godâit sounded like an incredibly powerful title. The Cross family needed that many powerful people just to protect an uncle who had once contracted a War Wolf.
âBut what about me? What do I do if the War Wolf Clan comes after me? Hide in my space and never come out? But what if they canât find me and go after my family instead?â
"I... I was too impulsive! This..." Now, holding the little wolf cub felt like holding a hot potato. She couldnât throw it away, but she couldnât keep it either.
"Since youâve completed the contract, put it in your space. Your space can temporarily shield its aura from the outside world."
"Oh, okay!" Flora Bloom obediently tossed the little wolf cub into her space. Seeing it yelping pitifully inside, she used her control over the space to open a can of milk and place it in front of the cub. When she saw it drinking happily, she pulled her attention back.
Seeing her anxious expression, he said, "Donât worry. Although I donât know why a descendant of the War Wolf Clan would be on Earth, the planet is safe for the next few years. There are special laws of heaven and earth here that suppress any overly powerful beings. Even if they came, they wouldnât be able to harm you or your family."
Flora Bloom suddenly felt the weight on her shoulders grow even heavier. If that clan one day discovered their descendant had signed a contract with her, a fight would be unavoidable. She realized that her own strength was far from enough.
After leaving this place, she had to start making herself and those around her stronger.
The two of them waited in the bushes for a long time. Suddenly, a chaotic noise came from the direction where the black-furred gorillas had gathered. The gorillasâ cries abruptly became high-pitched and frantic.
"OOH OOH OOH CHEE HAH! OOH OOH OOH!"
"KEE KEE CHEE CHEE OOH OOH OOH OOH OOH!"
"OOH OOH OOH!"
Flora Bloom and Lex Cross exchanged a look and quickly ran toward the gorillas.